To appreciate art, one must be, at least, a little hungry. Much like the creators of art, who are often hungry all the time. Maybe this is what gives rise to that momentary lightness that makes art. Of course, this must be followed by the immediate gratification of said hunger.

Anju’s café at Ranga Shankara, where most of Bangalore tries to appreciate theatre, serves up just the right-sized bites to appease that hunger. Not just any café, but hers especially. She hits that fine balance between wholesome and delicious, while the conversation around struggles to do the same.

Image Credit: Instagram – Sanjukta Das (@san_jukta)

Sabudana vadas and chutneys mingle with critical gems such as:

”I come for plays just to hear that sexy voice asking you to kindly switch off your phones.”

That ‘sexy voice’ belongs to Girish Karnad, FYI.

“Heard there’s a cast party happening after. It’s supposed to be epic. Thinking of crashing. You coming?”

And what better way to console yourself over a bad performance than by partaking in a tasty morsel – or many, depending on how bad it was.

Anju’s café lets us bank on a steady supply of quick eats, finger food, mains and desserts, while perusing the surroundings for interesting specimens – of the human variety. And come the mango season, all of Ranga Shankara celebrates, with Anju’s café playing the definitive role.

But nothing compares to the warmth emanating from the beautiful ladies in white during the harvest festival of Onam. They take great pride in serving you a range of dishes that make you wonder, how much did they harvest?

Without Anju’s café at Ranga Shankara, there would be a void. Couldn’t it be filled just as easily by someone else? Perhaps. But it takes a rare person to run a theatre café successfully. Even more rare is a space like Ranga Shankara that has created an invested theatre audience.

A cyclical kinship exists here, and a reciprocal love that every theatregoer will attest to. I suggest you try it: a play and a meal. The two must go hand in hand.